


The Captain

by My14Werewolves



Category: Miraculous Ladybug, Political RPF - France 20th c.
Genre: Don't Judge Me, Historical Miraculous Holders, Past Miraculous Holders, World War I, this isn't supposed to be political it's just that I like history, yes Charles de Gaulle holds the Rooster Miraculous
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-05 12:42:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18828889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/My14Werewolves/pseuds/My14Werewolves
Summary: When a young boy by the name of Charles de Gaulle helps a random man move in, the man reveals himself to be Master Wang Fu: the last guardian of the Miraculous. Recognizing Charles' pride and drive to do good for the citizens of Paris, he gives him the Miraculous of the rooster in the hope that they both can find the peacock Miraculous and it's holder before more trouble is caused. Now as a captain in the French Army during World War I, Charles will face even more challenges, but this time the balance of life and death, or should I say freedom and imprisonment, are at stake.





	1. The Sounds of War in the Morning

All he could see was darkness, darkness that would be pushed back by the light of exploding shells in the muddy battlefield, the shockwaves and debris flying in many directions outwards which startled the new recruits but gave the more experienced soldiers a terrifyingly familiar feeling. The rain along with the foot traffic of men turned what used to be a dense area of forests and rolling hills into a long stretch of mud that had the scent of smoke, fire, and death. These men were now huddled up in the trenches in thick blankets to protect them from the chills of early March, for the fear that even poking their heads above the walls of the trenches would have them shot before they could come back down.  
“Was this really what I expected?” Charles thought to himself and his experience in the war overall, it was definitely different than what most of society expected. Old wars were fought on horseback and in lined regiments like the French army his father fought in just 40 years before, nowadays the horses became obsolete, just as Charles had predicted, against the power of the machine guns, barbed wire, and trenches.  
This new style of warfare had already taken its toll on him along with other young men his age, everytime he asked about someone that had been in his graduating class at Saint Cyr (France’s most prestigious military academy), they had either been killed or wounded, Charles vowed to his mother that he would not share the same fate. It had been his dream as a child to make a name for himself on the battlefield: finally defeating the Germans and restoring France to its former military glory after a humiliating defeat, but he didn’t see where the war was going. Despite France having held back Germany and gaining wins at major battles, this was still but a war of extermination to him.  
Charles had already taken a bunch of risks already, he had been wounded a few times already but still had enough drive to get back into battle, determined to make a name for himself as a hero before the war was over, but he had to take more risks in order for that to happen.  
One important detail he had never told anybody else in his life was that he had already been taking life threatening risks even before the war, and was a hero too, just one that answered to a different name besides something like “Charles de Gaulle”. This was caused by an event that happened nearly a decade earlier when he helped a small asian man carry some boxes into the man’s new apartment. His decision to help the man made him late to school but also granted him something he would’ve never seen coming.


	2. Mr. Chan

“Goodbye sir, I’m sorry I have to leave but I’m already late to school,” the boy said as he set down the last of the boxes to pick up his school bag.  
“I am very grateful for your help young man, your height was much needed in this situation,” the shorter man said, remarking at the boys’ stature, at the young age of 14 he was possibly taller than most of the men in Paris. “Even though it may interfere with other aspects of your life, I admire you for taking the time out of your day to help me.” The young man however was itching to burst out of the apartment out of fear of missing his first class of the day, his father - who also happened to be the principal of the school - would not be happy.  
“I see you are very impatient to get out of here,” the man said in his quiet voice. “I still need help with moving, will you see me after school?”  
“I will try, if my father wouldn’t have me stay for detention” he said jokingly, turning towards the door. “By the way, I never asked your name?”  
“My name is” there was a certain pause in the man’s voice before giving his answer. “My name is Mr. Chan, and you?”  
“Charles, Charles de Gaulle,” he said as he was shaking the old man’s hand. “My father is also the principal at the school if you recognize my name, by the way I should get going, bye!” Charles said as he darted down the steps and ran as fast as his long legs could carry him.   
Back in the apartment, the man looked down at his wrist. On his wrist was a bracelet with a green shell on it. Out from the bracelet came a small floating creature that resembled a green turtle.  
“Well I was very excited to see the sights of Paris while I was cooped up in a box,” it said sarcastically. “I know we have to hide out of fear of being discovered but-”  
“Wayzz!” the man said slightly raising his voice. “I brought you out here to tell you that I may have found another holder.”  
“But master Fu you should be more careful with who you choose to be a holder, remember we’re in a new city with strange people, we don’t know who to trust!” He said nervously.  
“I can still sense greatness in the young man,” Fu began. “While helping me unpack he was telling me about how he wanted to join the military and bring glory to France after it was defeated by Germany about 30 years ago. He’s so ambitious and will do anything to get his wish, and I fear that may be a problem, but we cannot overlook his drive to help other people and his country. In fact now that I think about it, I know the perfect Miraculous for a boy like that.”


	3. An Outrageous Idea

Charles had grown up a lot since that fateful day, he was a captain now and had been given a unit of 180 men to go with him on a reconnaissance mission under heavy artillery fire, this was surely a risk on his life along with the lives of his men. Standing at the height of 6’5” led many of his friends and fellow comrades to joke about how nobody could miss while shooting at him unless they were blind, even giving him nicknames like “the great asparagus” or “double yardstick”, that didn’t really bother Charles until the war broke out. With the Germans shooting basically everything that moves, it would be easier to spot him despite being in the darkness of the early morning.  
Walking out here was a suicide mission, the trees have all been cleared away by explosions and bullets zipped past the men. All telephone wires had been cut so there was no way to get in contact with the unit if they were in danger, Charles tried his best to hide behind his stern face with his tired look and dark rings around his eyes that made him resemble a raccoon, but the truth was that he was scared for his life! He was working his way up to the position he’d always want to be in and achieve his childhood dream but war was a lot different than what he’d been told, but warfare had changed a lot in the 4 decades since the last major war that France was involved in.  
Turning to comfort in this cold barren wasteland of a battlefield, Charles opened up one of the pockets in his uniform to reveal a small sleeping creature. It was bright orange with red feathers coming out of its head and tail, it was Orikko, the small kwami that granted Charles the powers to become a hero, along with being a friendly companion in the hardships in the trenches. He could see his beloved friend was cold in the early morning because she was curled up underneath the dirty handkerchief he kept in his chest pocket, right next to the medal that acted as the Rooster Miraculous.  
“Are we back to the base camp yet?” Orikko wined. “I could really go for a nice and warm piece of bread right now.” Poor Charles didn’t have the courage to tell his little friend that he and his unit were on a reconnaissance mission, most likely not getting fresh food for most of the day, but he couldn’t lie to her.  
“Uhh, we’ll be at camp soon,” Charles said, his teeth chattering from the freezing air of the early spring morning. “We’re out on a patrol and I’m surrounded by the men in my command, I can’t talk now because I have to lead them.”  
“Oh, I keep forgetting you’re a captain in the army,” said Orikko. “You’ve come a long way since the day we first met.” She was right, despite the fact their first meeting would be 11 years ago this April, he could still remember it like it was yesterday. This made Charles’ mind go into a cloud of nostalgia that took him away from the smell of smoke and oil of the battlefield to the bustling streets of Paris before the war. How he would run down the streets from his house to his school, walking around the city with his brothers enjoying the sights, and meeting his friends to always celebrate when the school year would come to an end. He wondered how many of his childhood friends were forced into the trenches of the east along with how many had been a fateful casualty of this war of extermination. Charles’ mind quickly darted away from that somber subject to focus on other more enjoyable times of his youth when the voice of one of his men interrupted it.  
“Captain, there are men running towards us!”  
Charles immediately snapped back to the present to look around and take in his surroundings, coming out of the smog in the distance was a group of German soldiers with their guns pointed straight at the men. His mind started racing about what to do since he wanted most of his men in his unit to stay alive, their lives were in his hands now. Charles had been in a situation like this before but not to this extent, but there was one idea that snuck its way into his head. It was crazy, but it just might work.  
“Everyone get down and try to shoot at them, if they get any closer then we charge, I’ll go and try to get reinforcements!” Charles shouted before turning around and running away from the unit. “I feel bad about abandoning my own men, but I know the best person for a job like this, even better than myself now.”  
He ran sort of hunched over, because running at his normal standing height would be the equivalent of placing a bright red target on is back. Quickly diving into a shell crater, he unbuttoned his breast pocket and out flew his dear friend Orikko.  
“I’d think the great General Charles de Gaulle in the future wouldn’t be so willing to leave his unit behind when faced with a standoff,” she said sarcastically.  
“Now’s not the time Orikko,” he said, talking fast as if he was in a state of panic. “This is a hard decision for me, but I can save more men as Gaullus than I can as Captain de Gaulle.”  
“Are you sure about this?” Orikko said nervously. Charles hesitates a bit before nodding his head and shouting his next line.  
“Orikko, transform me!”


	4. Origins

“It's only a few blocks away from the school,” the boy thought to himself as he ran out into the streets of Paris, free from the 2 hour detention his father gave him for being late this morning. The sun was setting, painting the sky a mixture of deep orange and pink, this also meant that it was cooler than the afternoon where he would usually get out of school, but also it was the late spring, meaning that the sun would stay out longer into the day.  
This meant Charles could run longer and faster to his destination without getting tired. He had told his father that he was going to see a friend to catch up on the lesson he missed that morning, buying him more time to stop by and see the man he helped move in earlier.  
“What was his name again, Mr. Chan?” Charles thought to himself as he stopped at a street corner across from the apartment. He waited patiently for a carriage to cross before walking across to the building and entering it. Entering the building, he walked up the floors and down the hallways to try and remember where the old man’s room was, since he had honestly forgotten. It wasn't until he looked through an open door to see the man unpacking his boxes.  
“Come in!” The old man said, taking the boy by surprise but he entered the room anyway.  
“Sorry I'm late sir, I mean, Mr. Chan,” Charles began, he was disappointed in himself on how he let himself be late both to school, but also to help out a man who asked for it personally.  
“Don't get to down on yourself Charles,” he began. “You aren't here to move boxes this time, although you could if you wanted to, I still have one more downstairs.”  
“I'll be fine with helping you,” the boy said. “I can do it right now if you need me too.”  
“I should come with you, I am only 73 years old after all,” said the man. His statement gave Charles a surprised look on his face, Mr Chan only appeared to be in his late 30’s, right? He wanted to speak up and ask him, but decided to stay quiet and walk down the stairs to the large package sitting at the bottom. Both of them lifted the package up the stairs with Mr Chan leading the way while Charles provided support from the back.  
“You know this is my most important possession,” Chan stated despite almost being out of breath. “I can guarantee that something in here will also be of extreme value to you.”  
“What is it?” Charles asked impatiently.  
“I'll open it soon since we're almost at the door of the apartment.” The older man said as he directed the package down the hallway and through the door before setting it down on the floor of his living room. He went over to grab a knife off of a nearby table to open the box, Charles peeked in to see what was inside that was so special to the old man before reaching in to help him out.  
“Woah, a phonograph,” Charles said, admiring the East Asian influence on the intricate design of the box before Mr. Chan took it out of his hands to set it over on an antique desk across the room. Before he could say another word, the old man told him an order that seemed more urgent than the situation.  
“Please turn around,” the man said quietly. Charles was confused at first but he trusted the old man and did what he was told.  
“So, what was your name again?” The old man asked.  
“My name is Charles de Gaulle, I told you this morning, remember?” The boy responded.  
“Ah yes now I remember,” the man began. “And I believe I told you my name was Mr. Chan right?”  
“Yes.”  
“Well,” the man said as he was walking back over to Charles. “It turns out that was a lie, I am actually Master Wang Fu, the last Guardian of the Miraculous”  
“The what now?” Charles began, only to be cut off by Master Fu continuing to speak.  
“ - and if you are wondering you may turn around now,” the old man finished as Charles slowly began to turn around and face Master Fu. He noticed that the man had come back holding a small black box, almost like a jewelry box, with detailed red markings covering all of it. Charles wanted to get a closer look at it and was able to when Master Fu held it up as close to him as he could possibly reach. Looking back now, he couldn’t even anticipate or wonder what was going to happen next, an event that could change his life forever, but all Charles could do in that moment was stand still and wait for an explanation on who this mysterious man actually is.  
“Charles de Gaulle,” began Master Fu. “This is the Miraculous of the Rooster which represents pride and watchfulness, you will use the powers in this badge to protect the citizens of Paris against a danger that I fear is becoming very real right now. You will use it for the greater good, are you up for this challenge?”  
Charles was absolutely in shock at this statement, he didn’t know whether to believe him or decline or run out of the room or anything else, becoming a superhero with magical powers was the last path in life he’d imagine himself going down, it probably didn’t even cross his mind! However, the promise of becoming a hero and helping his fellow Parisians exited him so after an awkward and long pause, he finally announced his decision.  
“Yes!” The young boy exclaimed joyfully. “I have always wanted to help out my fellow Frenchmen at any change I get, and I assure you that I can face this new challenge head on, but what do I need to do?”  
“Excellent!” Master Fu said smiling with glee. “For now just open the small box and me along with your new kwami will tell you the rest.”  
“Kwami? What’s that?” Charles said with confusion as he opened the small box that would reveal the answer to his question. Out of the box came a small bright light that circled around his head a few times before hovering in front of his face. The light turned into a smaller form that was the color of orange, it had a large head for it’s small body with a red comb on the top and a small beak, giving it the appearance of a chicken along with the tail feathers on its backside.  
“Greetings, I am Orikko, your very own kwami,” she said floating in front of Charles’ face. “I am what gives heroes their superpowers, but only if you put on this badge called a Miraculous and say ‘Orikko, transform me’.”  
“Awww she’s adorable,” Charles said trying to get a closer look at the strange creature. “But I’m still all new to this stuff, who are you anyway? I know you mentioned something about a Miraculous earlier.”  
“That is correct,” Master Fu said before a small green creature flew out from behind him, certainly startling Charles, but then he recognized it was probably another one of those kwamis.  
“Greetings,” said the kwami. “My name is Wayzz and I am Master Fu’s kwami. You see, a long time ago he was part of the Guardians of the Miraculous, an elite order consisting of a temple in the Himalayas were children were brought up from birth to protect the powers of the Miraculouses, along with distributing them to other people who were deemed worthy and would serve the greater good.”  
“But when I was a child,” Fu added. “I made a grave mistake that resulted in the temple being destroyed along with two of the main Miraculouses: the butterfly and the peacock. I do not know where the butterfly Miraculous is but I have heard rumors that the owner of the peacock Miraculous resides in Paris, which is why I moved here. Seeing who would help a random man move into his new apartment was the perfect test to find someone worthy enough to be trusted with the powers of the Miraculous, and you were the only one to offer me help that morning despite knowing you will be late for school. After you left, it was hard for me to decide what Miraculous would suit you best, you were full of pride in both yourself and your country, along with aspiring to be in the military when you grow older. So I decided that the rooster Miraculous would suit you best.”  
“I see now,” Charles said. “The rooster is one of the national symbols of France because they share the same name in Latin: Gallus, which also happens to be a form of my surname Gaulle. I think I know my name now Master Fu.”  
“I wish to be called Gaullus, because it not only is it the Latin name of the rooster, but also the Latin name of the country I’d be honored to protect and serve. Also, I'll add an extra ‘u’ before the a and two ll’s to give it a personal touch because my hero name shall represent myself and my duty!”  
“Are you sure you want to choose a name that is not so, let's see, revealing of your true identity?” Master Fu asked sarcastically.  
“Why do I have to hide my identity anyway?” Charles responded back. “Wouldn't it be better if people knew who I am along with-”  
“As a Miraculous holder,” Fu began, interrupting the boy. “Your identity must be kept secret, I mentioned that there may be a person with a peacock miraculous, but they may not be using it for the best intentions. If this suspected villain would find out your identity, not just the miraculous would be in trouble, but potentially everyone around you would be at risk. You don't want to have what happened to Jeanne d’Arc happen to you, don't you?”  
“Wait, she had a miraculous too?” Charles asked surprised. “When you say ‘what happened to her’ do you mean when she was burned?”  
“That's another story for another time,” Master Fu said. “Now, do you accept the Miraculous of the Rooster?”  
“Yes,” Charles answered quickly since he already knew his answer this time. “And I will use it to find the owner of the peacock Miraculous and return it to you!”  
“Excellent, now we just need you to put on this badge.” Orikko said as she flew down to the small box she came out of. The badge was small enough that when Charles could fit the whole thing in the palm of his hand. Painted on the badge was the head of a rooster painted orange, with the comb on top of it painted bright red. He attached it to his school uniform in anticipation, then he turned to Orikko.  
“When you're ready, please say ‘Orikko, transform me’.” Excited, Charles bent his knees and prepared for what happened next.  
“Orikko, transform me!”


End file.
